Please Wake Up
by futureauthor13
Summary: AU What if Rigby didn't wake up when he was given the hat? Oneshot.


**This oneshot was inspired by an artist on Deviantart named sewerMonstar, and his pic titled "Get Up You Jerk". Basically an AU pic: what if Rigby didn't wake up when Mordecai gave him the hat? So, I got inspired by it, and now I'm writing this. After you're done reading, please look up and thank him or at least comment on his pic. Half of, if not all of the credit, should go to him. Okay, let's get started!**

What the heck had happened? Mordecai was just there, sitting at the table. And then poof! He was gone. "What happened?" Benson asked, just as confused as anyone. Well, except for the employees who were looking grave.

"We tried to stop him," said the man who last spoke to Mordecai, "we tried to save him."

"What are you talking about?" Muscleman asked.

"There's one final part of the Eggscellent Challenge," the man explained, "and no one ever-"

"I'm back!" Everyone turned and saw Mordecai, smiling and holding his prize. That blue net hat with that infamous phrase "I'm Eggscellent" plastered right on the front.

The park employees cheered while the restaurant employees looked dumbfounded. "Maybe he really was 'the One'," the manager said, before giving a small smile.

"So, you ready to wake Rigby up?" Skips asked. Mordecai nodded. Together, all six friends walked out of the small diner.

The bluejay was calm and collected on the outside, but at the same time anxious. He hadn't heard his friend's voice in three days. Not only that, but there was always the chance Rigby would... go before Mordecai got the hat. He smiled. Looks like he didn't have to worry about that now.

Benson found a parking space close to the building, and they all got out. Taking the elevator to the third floor of the hospital, Mordecai went in Rigby's room first. The raccoon was still there. Still in a coma, still in the same position. 'Not for long,' Mordecai thought.

The others walked in, not wanting to make Mordecai wait a minute longer. The bluejay took a deep breath, and then placed the hat in Rigby's hands. They waited five seconds. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. A minute. Nothing had changed. Rigby was still in a coma.

Mordecai stayed stoick. No one in the room could tell what the bird was thinking. The steady beat of the heart monitor attached to Rigby was the only noise in the room. That is, until Pops worked up the courage to speak up.

"Mordecai," he said quietly, "Perhaps you need to place it on his head." Silently, Mordecai took the hat back, and placed it on Rigby's head. The raccoon remained still, and the hat sat on his head. Doing absolutely nothing. No bright flash of light, no signs of waking up at all.

"Wasn't that supposed to work?" Muscleman asked, "I mean, that's why we went through all that trouble right?"

"Quiet," Benson said quietly but sternly. The pudgy green man kept his mouth shut. After a few more tense minutes, it was evident that Rigby wasn't waking up. The gumball machine sighed, not from fatigue or frusteration. Just a sad sigh.

He took a step forward, and lifted his hand to place it on the bluejay's shoulder. "I'm sorry Mordecai," he said. That was all he could say.

Mordecai stayed still. Slowly, he lowered his head. His face became scrunched up, trying to keep the tears in. Finally, after nearly five minutes of silence, Mordecai let out a loud yell. With that yell, he turned and punched the beige hospital wall. "Dammit!"

"Mordecai!" everyone called out. Skips and Pops try to grab him, to stop him from doing something he would regret, and because they were concerned.

"I got you the stupid hat! Wake up already!" Mordecai shouted at the comatose raccoon, "I kept my promise! So why!" His voice broke, and he trembled. "Why?" With that, he broke away from his friends and ran out the door.

"Oh my," Pops said, looking down at the floor. Even Muscleman didn't feel like saying anything. They had all thought the same thing. Once they got the hat, everything would go back to normal. Rigby would wake up, and they would go back to their park, doing their chores and waiting for the next crazy thing to happen. But that wasn't the case.

"Skips, I want you to take everyone back to the park." Everyone looked up at the gumball machine.

"But my good man, what about-" Pops began to ask, but Benson stopped him.

"I'll make sure to stay with Rigby for a while, but right now I need to talk to Mordecai," Benson said, his tone neutral, "and I just think it would be best for you all to go home."

Even without the threat of being fired, they all decided it would be best not to disobey their boss. As they all left the room, Skips gave Benson a supporting nod. Benson silently thanked him, and then went to go search for the bluejay.

After asking several nurses and doctors, Benson found him sitting by the wall of the hospital, about twenty feet away from the entrance. His head was in his hands, but it didn't take a genius to know that he was crying.

Quiet and a bit cautious, Benson walked over to Mordecai, and sat down next to him. Neither one felt like talking, so they sat in silence. The only sounds were chirping birds, which seemed all too happy for this moment, almost to the point of sounding bitter rather than sweet.

After nearly ten minutes, Mordecai finally spoke. "Why?" he asked. Benson didn't bother trying to answer. He knew what it was like to be in Mordecai's position, and he knew that when tragedy struck, sometimes all you needed was someone to listen. "Why couldn't it work?"

Mordecai sat up. His face was covered in dry tears. "I just thought, since I made a promise, since that was the one thing he wanted, I thought if I could get it, he would wake up. But that hat wasn't magic, it wasn't a healing hat." He scowled. "It was just a hat. A normal, old net hat that hasn't been cool in five years."

Benson kept listening. He wouldn't really know what to say anyway. "I promised myself," Mordecai stated.

"I know," Benson replied finally.

"No." Mordecai scowled. "You don't. No one does."

Benson raised an eyebrow at him. "Mordecai, we all know that you were determined to get that hat."

"It wasn't a promise about the hat," Mordecai replied, "It was a promise not to let him be killed again. I couldn't live with myself if I let it happen again."

Of course. The night at McHooligan's. "No one could have known Skips would do something like that," Benson reminded, his voice calm, "You can't blame yourself for that."

"No, I'm not talking about that." Mordecai looked ahead of him, remembering. "It was a few months ago. Rigby wanted to go to Zombie Dinner Party." Benson had remembered. After the two came home, Rigby looked so scared it was a surprise his fur wasn't white. "But I wanted to take Margaret to a movie. To get back at me for ditching him, Rigby ended up getting Margaret to go with him." What? Benson hadn't heard about this before. What was Mordecai talking about?

Continuing, Mordecai said, "I was so jealous, and angry. I got to the point where I was nearly insane. To make Rigby late for his date, I ended up microwaving all the clocks in the house so he wouldn't know what time it was. I ended up sending us to some alternate world or something, I'm not really sure. Even with flying at hundreds of miles per hour, we were still arguing about the date. It got to the point where I was so mad, I... I pushed him off the microwave and he..." Mordecai swallowed the lump in his throat. "He died Benson. Right in front of me."

The gumball machine couldn't believe it. "But at least then, I was given a do-over and things reset. No one remembered but me. But ever since then, I promised myself I wouldn't let him die because of I did or didn't do. Because I, I couldn't live without him." Tears forming again, Mordecai looked at Benson straight in the eye for the first time since they started talking. "He's my brother. Not just my best friend, not just my 'bro', but my actual brother."

Hearing this was no surprise to Benson. In fact, if it weren't for the obvious difference in species, Benson would've had no problem believing the two were actually related.

The bluejay became angry and turned away. "But I couldn't even help bring him out of a stupid coma!" Benson placed a hand on Mordecai's shoulder. "I can't do anything to help him."

"It'll be okay," he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible, "You don't need to blame yourself. This wasn't your fault." Mordecai shot him a glare. "I'm not trying to blame Rigby either. This is just something that happened, and we need to try to get through it. I know you're frustrated, but trust me. I know how it feels to feel useless when you're trying to help a friend."

A lump formed in his throat as he remembered Dave, but Benson quickly swallowed. "If you want to know the truth, I think that Rigby won't need a hat to wake up. He'll just do it on his own. I mean, think about it. You guys have been through monsters, other dimensions, and who knows what else. I think it would take a little more than a few eggs to kill him."

"But," Mordecai started to say, "the doctor said he might not ever-"

"Forget what he said," Benson said sternly, "As long as Rigby's still breathing, there's still a chance. There's still hope." Mordecai looked at his boss, almost seeing him in a new light. Never before has Benson seemed more like a friend, almost like a father figure, than he did in that moment.

Giving him a couple pats on the shoulder, Benson stood up. "Come on," he said. Mordecai looked at him, confused. Standing on shaking legs, he stood up as well.

"Where are we going?" Mordecai asked.

"You're going to the cafeteria and getting yourself something hot to eat," Benson replied, "and I'm going to stay up there with Rigby, in case there's any change. And don't try to say 'you're not hungry' or anything like that. You're going to eat something that's NOT an omlette, and maybe some coffee. Relax a little, maybe take a nap. Just try to calm down a little, and then come up when you're ready." He gave a small smile. "And if you don't, I might have to fire you."

Surprisingly, Benson saw just the hint of a smile on Mordecai's face. "...Okay." With that, the two walked inside the hospital together. Before going on their separate paths, Mordecai stopped. "Hey Benson."

"Yeah."

"Thanks. For everything."

"No problem, Mordecai." The elevator dinged, and Benson stepped in.

He ended up staying in Rigby's room for more than an hour. After five minutes, the monotonous beeping started to get to Benson, so he turned on the tv. It was hard to pay attention to whatever was playing. He just kept looking back at Rigby, looking for any signs that the raccoon was waking up. But nothing was changing. That was a good thing and a bad thing if you thought about it. No changes meant he wasn't getting any worse. But it didn't take a doctor to know the longer you stay in a coma the weaker your body becomes, until eventually... Benson sighed, and looked at Rigby's face.

'Come on Rigby,' he thought as he looked at the small body, 'Wake up already. Mordecai really needs you, and as much as I hate to admit it, so do we.'

"Benson?" The gumball machine looked up, and saw Mordecai in the doorway. He looked a lot better. He looked a lot less tired and hopeless, and it even looked like he had washed his face. It created the perfect illusion of normal.

"Hey," Benson replied, standing up from his seat. He paused for a moment. "There hasn't been any changes."

"I know," Mordecai replied, "You can go ahead and go back to the house if you want."

Benson looked at him. "Are you sure, Mordecai?"

The bluejay gave him a small smile. "Yeah man, I'm sure," he replied. Giving him one last look to make sure he was okay, Benson left the room, and Mordecai took his place in the chair.

Like Benson, he tried to drown his thoughts in television, but to no avail. He glanced at the clock. 6:15. There wasn't anything good on anyway. He turned off the tv, and then sat on the floor, resting his arms on the bed.

The sun was starting to set. The orange glow in the room combined with the light of the lamp Mordecai had turned on gave the room a warm feel, which previously only felt ice cold. As the room darkened, Mordecai stayed awake, looking for any sign at all that his best friend was waking up. Unfortunately, this wasn't easy. Who would've thought eggs would make you so sleepy?

The sun was almost completely down now. Mordecai looked at his friend, and sighed. "Rigby," he said, speaking for the first time in over an hour, "I don't know if you can tell, but I got you the hat. You're wearing it right now. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy."

He lifted his hand, and touched Rigby's arm. As if triggering something, Mordecai began to remember all the times they had played punchies. And he smiled.

"The doctors say you might not wake up, but I know you will. We all know you will." He chuckled. "Knowing you, you're just waiting for the right moment so you can make it a big scene." Mordecai frowned once again. "But dude, if you can hear me. I want you to just wake up already. I need you dude. You're my best friend, and my brother. I just... It wouldn't be the same without you." He looked down. "No, not by a long shot."

Suddenly, Mordecai gave a yawn, and felt twice as sleepy as before. 'Maybe I'll rest my eyes for just a minute,' he thought as he lowered his head, using his wings as a pillow. Two different thoughts echoed through his head.

_"There's a good chance he may never wake up."_

_"As long as he's still breathing, there's still a chance."_

'But when I wake up, I'll still be waiting,' he thought, 'What else are bros for?' He finally closed his eyes. 'Love you, brother.'

()()()()()()()()()

"Mhmmm. Mordecai, turn off the lamp! It's hurting my eyes!"

Mordecai groaned as he scowled in his sleep. "Go turn it off yourself, lazy-" His eyes opened. Wait. He sat up like a rocket, and looked at Rigby. The raccoon was still laying down, but his eyes were halfway open, squinting a little in the light. "Rigby!"

Unable to control himself, Mordecai grabbed the raccoon and held him close in a tight hug. "Hey! Lemme go! You know I hate hugs!" Rigby complained as he struggled. When Mordecai let him go, his expression went from relieved to pissed off.

"Dude, do you know how worried we all were?" Mordecai asked. Rigby blinked. As his eyes opened a little more, he looked around the room. The last thing he remembered was being in the ambulance and... then everything went black. Now he was in a hospital room, the sky was dark and filled with stars and, according to the clock on the wall, it was almost 10:30.

"How, how long was I out Dude?" Rigby asked, his voice still a little dry.

"Almost four days," Mordecai replied.

Rigby opened his mouth in shock. "Four days," he repeated. He couldn't believe it.

"I was really worried about you, dude," Mordecai said, not looking at the raccoon. Rigby instantly felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," he stated. He paused for a moment. "I'm really sorry, please don't be mad Mordecai. How about if, I promise not to do anything stupid ever again, at least not on purpose."

On purpose. That's right, Rigby even though he was allergic to eggs, took the Eggscellent challenge. Even so, Mordecai smiled. Only Rigby would do something so foolish. He never did learn, did he? But hey, that was just Rigby. And Mordecai wouldn't want to have it any other way.

"Okay," Mordecai replied, "and I guess you can be stupid on special occasions."

"Ha ha," Rigby said dryly, but really, he was just happy his friend had forgiven him. Rigby then reached up and rubbed his eye. How is it that even though he slept for almost four days, he was still tired? As he rubbed, his knuckle bumped against something. Using both hands, he felt the top of his head, and knew what it was without even taking it off. "Dude! You got me the hat!" Mordecai nodded. "You're the best, dude!"

Mordecai laughed. "Thanks," he said, "and you know, it did make for an interesting story."

Rigby was curious now. "Why? What happened? Tell me, dude!"

"Mm, nah. You don't want to hear it," Mordecai said nonchalantly, trying to keep from smiling.

"Aw! Come on!" Rigby shouted, glaring at the bluejay, "Everyone's gonna know but me! Just tell me!"

"Nah."

"Mordecai!"

He laughed. "Okay okay, how about this? I'll tell you the whole story, after I get us something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Just then, as if on cue, Rigby's stomach growled. The small mammal pouted.

"Fine," he said, "but you better tell me after we eat."

"I will, I will," Mordecai said as he stood up, "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay." Rigby watched his friend walk towards the door. "Wait!" Mordecai turned his head. "Uh, thanks... for the hat I mean."

Mordecai smiled. "No problem Rigby." Mordecai left the room, and walked down the hall a few feet before stopping. He took out his cell phone, and dialed Benson's number. They would all be happy to know Rigby was awake.

Pops would give him a hug. Skips would just smile. Muscleman would act like he didn't care even though it was obvious he did. Benson would be relieved, and then he would give Rigby a long lecture about food challenges (again). And Mordecai. He would just enjoy seeing his friend awake, and everything being back to normal.

After making the phone call, Mordecai went down to the hospital cafeteria and was able to get two leftover hamburgers before they were put in the freezer. He grabbed some chips, a candy bar, and headed back upstairs.

When he went inside the room again, he saw Rigby sitting up with the tv on. His eyes were glued to the screen as a commercial played.

"So, if you and a friend can finish our steak and eggs, we'll give you two tee shirts that say 'Raise the Steaks'. RAISE THE STEAKS!"

"Mordecai!" Rigby shouted happily, "Do you know what's better than tee shirts? Free tee shirts! Dude, I'll eat the steak if you eat the eggs!"

Mordecai sighed. Yep, back to normal alright.

**Please review! And remember to look up the picture! Thanks for reading! :D**


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